Broken Paths
by Just An Alchemy Nerd
Summary: Adrina Linn had always been outcasted by society, due to her gypsy heritage . When she is viciously attacked on the streets she is rescued by a mysterious golden eyed man. Traveling to Germany with him in order to try to help him get home chaos is sure to ensue . With feelings deep and ever present is Edward even sure he wants to go home, not without her at least. EdxOc Ed/Oc
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter One**__: Circulating Rumours, A Gypsy Girl And A Vicious Attack._

Rumours had always circulated about Adrina Linn, for as long as she could remember; rumours about her family, her past, her culture and her future or lack thereof. And, as much as she despised being gawked at in the streets like an animal in a zoo, she had to admit that she couldn't blame them. Most Romani gypsies travelled in large groups, with caravans and horses. Adrina lived alone. She hadn't travelled in over three years. And she lived in a busy London street. So yes, she couldn't blame the gossipers.

She was very different from all the inhabitants of the street; Riddle Lane was a bustling shopping street, with people living in the flats above the stores. The street was filled with pretty, young, married girls who were considered successful due to their good marriages and three children. Adrina had been shunned upon entering the street as everyone shut their windows and bolted their doors, to try and avoid being robbed by the gypsy girl. She lived above a grocery store; the owner was only person who would rent her a room. The grocer was a good man, unaffected by her heritage and tanned skin. He would often tell her stories about his fights in the war, which had left him blind in one eye and with a pronounced limp.

Once one looked past their prejudices they would see that Adrina Linn was a pretty girl. She had long, flowing dark hair that shone in the light, and large, dark almond eyes. She had curved hips and walked with a dignified grace. Adrina had always loved to read, for all fifteen years of her life she had been interested in learning all she could about the world and its mysteries.

It was summer time, the streets were warm and the days were longer. After a bad winter of snow falls and little to no food, this was a welcome reprieve. Adrina turned away from the window and the view of the streets occupants that it provided. She pulled on a pair of boots, tying the laces tightly, and stepped out the door, shouting a hurried goodbye to the grocer; Mr Hartland. The streets were beginning to quiet down as sunset approached many of the regular stores; the boutiques, the florists and the butchers, were already closed or closing, leaving only the pubs and brothels in the side streets open.

Adrina headed towards the park to watch the sunset over the lake, as she did every Friday night. She was always careful walking past the shadier stores but refused to be intimidated out of doing what she pleased. She crossed a few streets, her boot heels tapping against the stone paths, and, ignoring the shouts that followed her from the pubs, entered the park. It was completely empty, so she went unbothered as she reached her favourite bench, the one that overlooked the water.

The young girl groaned as the pressed her head against her hands; it had been a long week. She had been harassed in the streets again and told to go back home, the bakers had refused point blank to serve her and she still hadn't managed to get a steady job. She stayed for another half hour and watched transfixed as the sun vanished and was replaced with a crescent moon. With a final glance towards the rippling water, Adrina stood, brushed out the creases to her dress, and walked towards the park gates.

The streets were dark now, the only source of light being street lights and the moon. She walked, her footsteps quiet and alert, towards the grocery. She was walking through the entrance to a side alley when she felt a pair of rough calloused hands grab her and pull her into the alley. Adrina couldn't see his face, as its contours and features were masked by the gloom. "Well, well, looks what we have here, a little gypsy girl got lost." He held her pressed against a wall, she tried to squirm out of his grasp by he was too strong and must have had at least 50 kilos against her. She attempted to yell out for help, which only made him chuckle darkly, "I think your forgetting gypsy, but no one's gonna come to save someone as worthless as you. So don't even bother trying girlie it won't work."

Adrina pushed away from him, kicking and hitting him as hard as possible, having resigned herself to the fact that no one was coming. He grabbed her wrists and and pressed them up against the stone wall, holding them with one hand he reached into his long coats pocket nd grabbed a flick knife. He opened the knife and held it against her neck. She could smell the stench of cheap alcohol on his breath as he spoke again, "time to finish this, one less gypsy in the world." She felt the blade slice the delicate skin on the base of her neck, just above her collar bones. He moved the blade away from her and she looked up, hoping he had left. Bam, he slammed her head hard against the brick wall and she saw the world spin as her vision shook and her only clear sense was one of agony in her neck and head. He dropped her and she fell in a bloody heap against the wall, waiting for him to finish the deed.

The moon shifted out from behind a cloud and shone against her attackers face, showing her his sadistic twisted expression as her bent down and slashed his blade again and again against her skin, shredding her flesh as well as her dress. She was losing too much blood, she saw the bastard raise the knife again and prepared herself for the blow. It never came. She opened her eyes. Her perpetrator was lying on the floor clutching his stomach, clearly winded.

Adrina looked up at the person who had saved her and saw a pair of brilliant golden eyes shining in the moonlight. Her attacker glared up her saviour from his position on the floor, "what the hell was that for, I was just finishing of a worthless gypsy. What the hell is your issue bastard."

The golden eyed man glared down at the attacker, a look of extreme disgust evident in his gaze. "Get lost and don't let me see you near her again."

The perpetrator's scowl deepened, "why is she your whore or something shorty?"

Her saviour didn't say anything but slammed his foot into the other man's gut, sending him crashing into the floor a few meters away, "I said, get lost arsehole. AND WHO ARE YOU CALLING A MIGET SO TINY HE COULD GET SQUASHED BY A BABY ANT?!" Adrina raised an eyebrow weakly, surprised by his sudden childish outburst. The attacker seemed to at least be finally intimidated by him and drew himself to his feet before limping away with what little was left of his revolting sense of dignity.

With the bastard finally gone the golden eyed man bent down to look her in the eye, before saying in a surprisingly gentle voice, "do you want to come with me, I can take you to someone who can help you with your injuries." Adrina nodded mutely, not trusting herself to maintain the ability to reply in a steady voice. He bent down and picked her up as though she was a child, hlding her bridal style, her took he towards a nearby house with a light on. The last thing Adrina Linn saw, before she lost consciousness, was a pair of captivating golden eyes blaze in the moonlight, then the world span once more and went black.

* * *

_**Hi everyone whose reading this, this is my first Fullmetal Alchemist Fanfiction, so thanks for reading this and I hope to finish the second chapter soon. please review :) **_

_**THANKS!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Adrina and her family. yes its sad._**

**_Dedicated: ms. cheerful & RoseGranger : thanks, your reviews make me smile :)_**

* * *

_Chapter Two: Alchemy, Space Ships And A Parallel Universe_

Growing up, Adrina had always been fascinated by the stars, their dazzling constellations and the hidden worlds that dwelled beyond them. Her mother had told her tales about the constellations; Orion, The Pegasus and Canis Major, being some of her favourites. As a child the lines between real and make believe had always been very blurred. She had run around with the other children, enthralled in their own worlds; worlds full of magic, mystery, wonderment and intrigue. She had very little interest in the real world, full of cold grey skies, starvation and the aftermath of the Great War. Her parents had both been dreamers' as well, their minds full to bursting point with myths and legends, of heroes, treasure and creatures beyond her wildest dreams. In the real world, full of mad scrambles and sick games for power and wealth; this was looked down upon, but who wanted to live there.

She had always been a visual learner, her mind remembered books and diagrams better than lyrics and tunes. Words that flew from the pages to her mind were permanently imbedded in there. She could recite elements from chemistry books; regurgitate theories and formulas from the abstract concepts of space and time and tell tall tales from ancient time word for word. While living with her parents books were a rare luxury, having only a few books on science and myths with them on their travels, she devoured them hungrily, time and time again until they were lodged firmly in her mind, unable to be discarded or forgotten.

When Adrina awoke she was in an unfamiliar room. It was larger than her room above the grocery, with a bed, a wardrobe and a table and chair in it. The window next to the bed let in a warm light and judging by the suns position it was mid-afternoon. She sat up slowly in the bed, wincing occasionally from pain. Her stomach growled, leading her to wonder how long she'd been unconscious for. Apparently hearing her sit up in bed, for indeed she had hardly been quiet while doing so, a man with blonde hair and a beard entered the room, carrying a tray with a kind of broth. The aroma coming from the bowl made her stomach rumble again, leading the man to chuckle lightly.

"I'm not surprised you're so hungry, you've been unconscious for two days." She studied the man for a moment before taking the broth with a quiet word of thanks. He had a timeless face, making it nearly impossible for her to establish his age; he had golden eyes and hair leading her to wonder if he was related to the man who saved her. Deciding that prying into his personal details could wait, she quickly drank the broth with the spoon offered to her. The man waited until she had finished before taking the empty bowl and placing it on the table. He resumed his seat before smiling at her, "I'd take it easy if I were you, you nearly died back there, you wouldn't want to go re opening you wounds would you. My name is Hoenhiem, Van Hoenhiem." Adrina sat up a little straighter and gave him a wan smile, glad to know his name, "I'm Adrina Linn, thank you for helping me." He smiled at her and nodded his head in acknowledgement. "you were very little trouble, rather quiet too."

Before either of them could say anything else a young golden eyed man entered the room, he was scowling to himself and mumbling something about freakishly tall bastards. He started suddenly when he realised there were two pairs of eyes watching him, "oh hello," he nodded once to Hoenhiem, who Adrina now realised must be his father, he then smiled slightly at her, "I'm glad to see your awake, we were beginning to worry about you." She smiled back at him before clasping her hands and bowing her head, "thank you for saving me." He grinned at her, his eyes glinting in the sunlight. "No problem, I can't stand guys like that bastard," he frowned before brightening a little again, "I'm Edward Elric, what's your name?"

"Adrina Linn." She lifted her right hand gingerly to push some of her hair back behind her ear in a nervous gesture. Her bracelet caught the light and illuminated some of the runes engraved on it. It had been a present from the Brooks family, who had looked after her when her parent had died. The runes caught Hoenhiem's eye and he frowned slightly, "that's an interesting bracelet, where did you get it?" she looked at it and smiled again, "it was a present from a close friend." She replied looking back at him. She gently undid the silver clasp, letting the bracelet fall to the bed, before handing it to Hoenhiem.

He took it and held it up to his eye, peering at it through his glasses, and examined each of the dangling runes and circles individually and with his undivided attention. "That's alchemy, no doubt about it," he mumbled, gaining Edwards attention to the bracelet as well, they both looked at her, "do you know anything about alchemy?" Adrina was surprised by the question but quickly nodded her head in agreement. She did know about alchemy, quite a lot as such. She had read many a tome on the subject and held an unusual fascination in the theory and art of transmuting one thing into something else. "Yes, it's the science of understanding, deconstructing and reconstructing matter. You are able to use alchemy to transmute something into something else of the same mass, equivalent exchange."

Edward raised an eyebrow in surprise a while Hoenhiem sat there dumbfounded for a moment before clearing his throat and handing her back her bracelet, which she refastened around her wrist, before looking back up at them. "Is it important, alchemy I mean?" Edward and Hoenhiem exchanged glances as though having a silent discussion on what or how much to tell her. "It's complicated," Edward began before pausing for a moment to think, he then asked, "do you know any other sciences?" Adrina nodded her head, wondering what relevance this was of, deciding to trust them she explained, "I know a fair deal chemistry, physics and a lot of astronomy, there's also the Thule's society theory on the parallel universe coexisting with ours; Shamballa, they're calling it."

This caught the attention of the two males instantly, "a parallel universe?" Hoenhiem questioned, turning to Edward who was staring at her in shock. "Yes, it's mainly in Germany, they're trying to reach this Shamballa place of theirs with a combination of Alchemy and physics." It was quiet for a while as the information Adrina had just revealed sunk into Edward and Hoenhiem's minds. "Why physics?" Edward asked, frowning again, "why would they be trying to reach this Shamballa place anyway?" Adrina sighed slightly before answering him, "they want to reach Shamballa to try to get weapons for this new war of theirs, and the physics is rather obvious in a way. They're building rockets." Both Edward and Hoenhiem looked thoughtful at this, "rockets huh, that's a vehicle using boosters to try and reach into space isn't it?" Hoenhiem asked. She nodded searching the expressions on their faces with intrigue. Hoenhiem simply look interested, while Edward was looking hopeful, "so with these rockets they can get to the other universe right?" he asked her. Adrina shrugged, "I don't know too much about it I'm afraid, I've read this and that from books or newspapers and heard about other bits, but really you'd have to ask somebody doing research in Germany on it."

Edward nodded as if expecting this answer, his eyes miles away, "So if I went to Germany I would be able find out more about these rockets?" Adrina nodded, curios about his interest in Shamballa, "yes, I hear they're currently recruiting people to help them build the rockets." Edward raised an eyebrow, "how is it that you know so much about this stuff that's happening in Germany anyway? It's a little bit far afield"

"Because my landlord is in the military and they're told about the threat of war and what Germanys currently doing, and because I read a lot of German books." This seemed to catch his interest, "so you speak Germany then," Adrina nodded again, "and you're interested in Shamballa and rockets as well? Might I ask why?" she paused for a second to gather her thoughts, "Because it sounds a lot better than this world." This made Edward and Hoenhiem smile sadly at her for a moment before Edward asked, "what about your family?" Adrina's face whipped clear of emotion for a moment before responding, "dead," the word was clean and sharp, Hoenhiem looked sad to hear this but Edward look thoughtful, "I see, well then, how would you like to go to Germany Miss Linn?"

* * *

**_Hello Reader, thank you for reading I hope you enjoyed it, pls leave a comment_**

**_thank you :)_**


End file.
